BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó




                   Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
                            Senator Kevin de León, Chair


          AB 1509 (Fox) - Veterans
          
          Amended:  March 25, 2014        Policy Vote: VA 6-0
          Urgency: No                     Mandate: No
          Hearing Date: August 4, 2014                            
          Consultant: Maureen Ortiz       
          
          This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.


          Bill Summary:  AB 1509 requires the Department of Veterans  
          Affairs to develop a transition assistance program for veterans.

          Fiscal Impact: 

              Approximately $200,000 in one-time costs to develop the  
              program (General Fund)

          The Department of Veterans Affairs indicates the need for two  
          limited term analysts (AGPAs) for development of the program.   
          Actual implementation costs are unknown at this time and will be  
          determined after the plan is completed.

          Background:  The Federal "Transition Assistance Program Goals,  
          Plans, and Success" (TGPS) Program, formerly known as the  
          Transition Assistance Program was created in 1990 to inform and  
          assist veterans in understanding their Department of Veterans  
          Affairs benefits.   However, the federal program provides  
          information specific to the state where a veteran is immediately  
          ending his or her service, and not to the location of permanent  
          residence.

          In 2011, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law the  
          "Veterans Opportunity to Work and Hire Heroes Act of 2011" (VOW  
          Act). The VOW Act requires, among other things, that separating  
          service members must attend the Transition Assistance Program  
          (TAP).  A partnership among the Departments of Defense (DOD),  
          Veterans Affairs (VA) and Labor (DOL), the TAP program provided  
          job assistance and separation counseling services on military  
          installations. The program included information and counseling  
          for pre-separation, employment assistance, relocation, education  
          and training, health and life insurance, finances, Reserve  








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          affiliation, disabled Veterans, and retirement.

          Proposed Law:  AB 1509 requires the Department of Veterans  
          Affairs to develop a transition assistance program for veterans  
          who have been discharged from the Armed Forces of the United  
          States or the National Guard of any state.

          The program will be designed to complement the transition  
          program offered by the Department of Defense and will assist  
          veterans in successfully transitioning from military to civilian  
          life.  The program will include the following  
          California-specific transition assistance information:

             a)   Higher education benefits and programs;

             b)   Vocational training assistance;

             c)   Small business resources;

             d)   Health care programs and services;

             e)   Mental health resources;

             f)   Military sexual trauma resources; and,

             g)   Housing information.

          AB 1509 contains Legislative Intent that the department utilize  
          its existing personnel and other resources, including its  
          existing internet-based CalVet Internet Web site to disseminate  
          this information.

          Staff Comments:  The majority of separating service members who  
          intend to live in California are discharged from various  
          military bases located across the country.  These individuals  
          are currently not informed about state-specific benefits that  
          are provided in California during the federal transition  
          assistance program.

          Recommended Amendments:  Staff recommends moving the Legislative  
          Intent on page 2, lines 37-40, to an uncodified section of the  
          bill in order to maintain uniformity and clarity within the  
          code.








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